Hey, what's up? It's Gustavo Arellano. And today we have a new podcast for you called Border

Border. Reporter Sandra Dibble spent more than 25 years covering the U.S.-Mexico border for the San Diego

Union Tribune. And what she found out after her first day on the job is that Tijuana's

complicated. It's a city that's forever battled stereotypes of being dangerous and dirty.

But those who live there or have been going to Tijuana their entire lives like my family,

we see it as what a border town is supposed to be. Fibrant, future thinking, incredible.

Sandra herself says living in Tijuana and discovering its arts and culture scene was like,

quote, being let

in on a wonderful secret, one that defied all the stereotypes about the city that she now loves.

Lots of T.J.'s best and worst qualities are because of the city's proximity to the U.S. border,

the impact of being home to the Western Hemisphere's busiest border crossing, how the border has shaped Iwana.

All of that, it's a big part of what Sandra spent her career digging into.

And she pulls all that work together in this new eight-part narrative podcast series.

Over the next couple of weeks, we're going to play some of those episodes

because we got to boost our sister publication and all their great work,

you know? So here's episode one of Border City. It's called Crime and Friendship. And here's Sandra.

Enjoy.

Whenever I catch the news these days, I see stories about the U.S.-Mexico border.

And so many times, I'm struck by one thought.

They don't capture the heartbeat of the place where I've lived and worked for almost 28 years.

New report ranks Tijuana as the most violent city in the world.

In the evening, Borderfield State Park closes at sundown, and just before it, some folks made a dash

...